Now And Then, Then And Now
Charles Dickens was an author with a mission. Actually, two missions. To write exceptional fiction (which he did) and to get rich (ditto).
In the process, he wrote the most compelling opening line for a master work ever: “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
Which reminds me of the thinking behind this blog: Digital PR. This is a great time to be engaging in digital PR. Why? Because it is still new and open to blank page thinking and so wonderfully complex that it ranges from Forbes.com to My Space. PR people placing “stories” on YouTube? How cool! Or is it? Well, if you want to place a story that drives consumers to buy a brand of almost anything, I hate to admit it, but you want to place it in the New York Times. Yes, dead old traditional media. Second place is held by any network news show, and The Wall Street Journal, USA Today. Relics of the past still more powerful than the coolsters of the current.
So for digital PR, this is the best of times and the worst of times. Maybe Mr. Dickens was writing more than the opening of a great novel. Maybe he was writing a timeless metaphor. As PR professionals, you have to walk a difficult tightrope. Navigate to the digital (there won’t be a print version of the Times in 20 years) at a time when the Times (and the other stalwarts of traditional media) still have enormous influence. So while the pressure to be cool (i.e. digital) is like a tsunami, we have to respect the now and the then and learn how to time the transition.
Change can be intoxicating and exhilarating but it can be stupid if activated for the sake of change.
on July 16th, 2007 at 11:47 am
You’re right that coverage in The New York Times and other tier-one publications are and will always likely be important. However, it’s important to note how many stories that might not have gotten covered in the past, end up front page news because of the buzz they’ve built online. With reporters’ inboxes crammed full of pitches, many are finding stories through new media.
on July 16th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Good post and I congratulate you on your jump into new media. While I whole-heartedly agree about your comments regarding traditional media (that you can’t rule them out as a PR vehicle). I do want to point out the following stats/research in particular for communicating with a younger or more tech savvy audiences:
* A quarter of US households own MP3 players. (Nielson Media Research,
12/2006)
* 76% of university students own an iPod or mp3 player. (10/06, Univ. of
Washington)
* 53% of online teens watch video on the internet occasionally, 22%
frequently. (JupiterResearch, 2/2007)
* 34% of YouTube viewers are watching less TV. (Harris Interactive, 1/2007)
* 57% of senior executives in the media and entertainment industries identify user-generated content (a.k.a. audio and video podcasting, blogs, wikis, etc.) as one of the top three challenges they face today. (Accenture, 4/2007)
* Advertisers will spend more than $400 million on podcasts by 2011. (eMarketer, 2/2007)
* Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and BeBo are approaching parity with TV, effectively reaching 96% of online tween and teens.(AdAge, 6/2007)
Also, keep in mind that some papers and radio networks like the Washington Post and NPR are investing heavily into this brave new world - and it’s paying off.
My key point is, regardless of the influence of traditional media, the playing field online has been leveled mainly because access to content distribution is equivalent from the teen with an opinion in her bedroom to the corner office of the high-flying PR executives on K Street and Madison Avenue.
on July 16th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I will be interested to see if the current teenage generation continues their high internet/technology use into their 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. There is plenty of proof how much they use web/mp3 and other technology now. But what happens when their livestyles change? And what happens if/when internet newspapers and other websites start to charge for access?
I am very intested in Digital PR and appreciate all the comments on this site.
on July 16th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
George,
I don’t think any of us can forecast the future but if you consider the past when radio, rock n’ roll and TV was introduced it still looks like the World War II and baby boomer generation are still listening to the Beatles, the radio and watching plenty of TV.
Also, there doesn’t seem to be a standard business model for all of this “Web 2.0″ content. Charging for access now I think would do more harm than good for connecting with the public. Most folks think the sponsorship advertising model is the way to go. Especially when you consider the second to last stat I posted in my previous comment.
Also here is another interesting stat regarding iTunes and podcasts:
* 18-24 year-olds of iTunes podcast subscribers represent 29 percent of the audience while 35-54 year-olds represent half of the overall podcast audience. (comScore, 5/2007)
on July 16th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Interesting points, although the influence of new media cannot be underestimated. Don’t agree with you about Dickens though. If he’s our measure of success, then we’ll be putting students to sleep while they dream of YouTube.
on July 17th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I’m going to go with Edward George Bulwer-Lytton: “It was a dark and stormy night.”
on July 18th, 2007 at 12:04 am
The future of PR is predicted in this video and starts off the same as the blog post does… It was the best of times it was the worst of times.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FVlKhzoSVKQ
Interesting to say the least.
on July 23rd, 2007 at 10:25 am
My 5-year-old has a Webkinz and doesn’t interact with others on the site besides his “pet” - yet. What’s really going to be interesting to watch is how these kids will grow up and find their news.
on July 26th, 2007 at 10:30 am
very interesting points, just the other day I was talking to my boss about this subject and how as an agency we need to be open minded and try to approach the media in a more modern way without bombarding so much their mailboxes with unsolicited pitches!. My boss agreed but at the same time she does not think the traditional PR will be replace by the modern PR at least not for now.
on July 26th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Maria, now is NOW…
http://pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Video_2007.pdf
7-25-07 Report from Pew on online video.
on September 7th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I agree!